Julien Viale scored a hat-trick as a 10-man Auxerre beat Nancy 3-0 to move into the Coupe de la Ligue third round.
Nancy – winners of the competition in 2006 – simply had no answers for Viale's devastating display... Read more

Ligue 2 2015

About

Espérance Sportive Troyes Aube Champagne, known more commonly as ESTAC or Troyes, was initially founded in 1986. The club's formation came about after the death of Troyes' first professional team, Association Sportive Troyenne et Savinienne, in 1965 and the closure of the region's second professional club, Troyes Aube Football, in 1979.

The new club entered the French league system in the sixth tier. Troyes won the league and gained promotion in their first year and by the early '90s, the club had already reached the third tier. In 1993, a restructure of the league system saw Troyes move down to the fourth division again and it was at this point that the club appointed Alain Perrin as manager.

Perrin's reign as the club's manager coincided with a period of huge success for Troyes. After leading the club to two promotions, Troyes became professionalised in 1996. The 1998-99 season saw the club finish in 3rd place in Ligue 2 and gain promotion to the top flight for the first time, completing its dramatic rise through the divisions. In 2001, Troyes finished 7th in Ligue 1, earning them entry into the UEFA Intertoto Cup. They would go on to win the competition, defeating Newcastle United in a dramatic encounter and gaining entry into the UEFA Cup as a result. Perrin's impressive performance with the club led to him being offered the managerial post at Marseille in 2002.

Troyes compete in two local derbies, the Derby des Ardennes versus CS Sedan Ardennes and against AJ Auxerre in the Derby de la N77.

During the club's relatively short history, its supporters have already seen some quality players who would go on to become full international players for France, such as Jérôme Rothen, Bafétimbi Gomis and Blaise Matuidi.

Troyes play their home matches at the Stade de l'Aube, which was originally built in 1956 and renovated in 2004. The stadium currently holds a maximum of 21,684 spectators for the side's Ligue 1 matches.